Sound masking systems are widely used in offices and similar workplaces where an insufficient level of background sound results in diminished speech privacy. Such environments suffer from a high level of noise distractions, and lower comfort levels from an acoustic perspective. Sound masking systems operate on the principle of masking which involves generating a background sound in a given area. The background sound has the effect of limiting the ability to hear two sounds of similar sound pressure level and frequency simultaneously. By generating and distributing the background noise in the given area, the sound masking system masks or covers the propagation of other sounds in the area and thereby increases speech privacy, reduces the intrusion of unwanted noise, and improves the general acoustic comfort level in the area or space.
Sound masking systems are of two main types: centrally deployed systems and independent self-contained systems. In a centrally deployed system, a central noise generating source supplies a series of loudspeakers installed throughout the physical area or space to be covered. The independent self-contained system comprises a number of individual self-contained sound masking units which are installed in the physical space. The sound masking units operate independently of each other, but may include a number of satellite speakers which extend the range of each self-contained, i.e. master, sound masking unit. Most sound masking systems include the capability for broadcast announcements and music over the loudspeakers contained in the sound masking units.
The primary goal of sound masking systems is to provide an unobtrusive, effective masking sound that is adjustable for maximum consistency, and offers the ability to meet the requirements of the occupants. The masking output is preferably sufficient to accommodate the existing acoustic requirements of the workplace environment and adjustable to handle changes to the acoustic characteristics of environment which occur over time. Similar demands are placed on the system for the public address and music functions. In short, the preferred sound masking system would produce an output with a frequency and volume level that is controllable to produce the desired acoustic response for workplace zones ranging in size from the smallest to larger spaces.
Centralized systems are characterized by achieving uniformity of output, but not uniformity of acoustic response for the space. In a centralized system, the frequency spectrum of the sound masking output can only be adjusted at a centrally located equalizer, and as a result the sound masking output has the same frequency spectrum for all of the loudspeakers. Depending on the configuration of the centralized system, volume adjustments may be made for very large physical spaces, i.e. zones, by adjusting the amplifier output; for relatively smaller zones, volume adjustments are made by changing wiring connections or controls on the speaker enclosure, or by adjusting a hardwired zone volume control. In practice, it is difficult to accommodate environmental acoustic variations using a centralized system because the volume and frequency spectrum adjustments required for the typical physical zone size are too large to achieve a uniform acoustic result. A further disadvantage is that many of the adjustments for a centralized sound masking system require an installer or technician to re-enter the ceiling space or to rewire the speakers in the system.
The independent self-contained system has a number of important advantages over the centralized arrangement. The independent self-contained system is more effective in terms of sound generation, volume adjustment, and frequency adjustment which, in turn, improves the performance of such systems as compared to centralized systems. In particular, the independent self-contained system provides a defined non-frequency specific output range for the masking output spectrum, and adjustments can be made at each master sound masking unit. The volume controls for an independent self-contained system also provide more flexibility than in the centralized system, and provide for finer adjustments in smaller zones, in addition to centralized volume controls for large zone or global adjustment. However, with existing systems it is still necessary to re-enter the ceiling to adjust the frequency spectrum and volume output level for each master sound masking unit, and the controls for providing multi-unit volume zone adjustments require the hardwiring of the units.
While existing independent self-contained systems are more flexible than centralized systems in many regards, they do not satisfy all the requirements of an ideal sound masking system as discussed above. Furthermore, other shortcomings are associated with existing sound masking systems. In both centralized and independent self-contained systems, the public address and music volume controls are limited in the same manner as described above for sound masking output volume controls. Second, any centrally located controls only affect the output level for the speakers or sound masking units which have a hardwired connection. It will be appreciated that this severely limits the adjustability of the system to future changes in the acoustic environment unless at least some of the system is rewired. Third, the tuning procedure for existing systems is time consuming and can still be inaccurate over the system even when undertaken with the appropriate level of skill and attention. And fourthly, adjustments to existing systems must be made on-site.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a networked sound masking system with individually controllable and programmable sound masking units, and which system is easily adaptable to changing sound qualities in a physical space or spaces in a building environment.